Winter Storm
by kelpy
Summary: Basically a snowstorm, just before Christmas...with lots of animals friends. 4/6 parts.
1. Anticipation

Winter Storm (v 5.0)  
By Kelpy  
Email: dragon@smadar.ca  
Copyright December 2001-2002  
Category: Drama/Humor  
Rating: PG-13  
  
A 'Fruits Basket' Fan Fiction  
Original manga series by Takaya Natsuki  
Published by Hana to Yume Comics (Japan)  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------  
  
This piece of work is not to be sold in any form. Takaya Natsuki or Hana to Yume Comics has not   
authorized this piece in any way. It may be downloaded for personal reading. Please contact me   
before presenting it for public use (posting to message boards/mailing lists, web sites, etc).   
--------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Author's note: Okay, now that all that legal stuff is out of the way, please accept my apologies   
beforehand for any inconsistencies with the actual series, and the writing in general. Hope you have   
fun reading it anyway. This story takes place sometime before volume 9 of the series. Comments   
are always welcomed. Hope I have time to finish it. Didn't expect it to be so long.   
--------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Part 1: Anticipation  
  
The early morning sky was still a calm misty blue, but as he scanned the horizon, Kyou noticed a   
band of dark gray stretching across the distance. Still pencil thin, it came from the direction of the   
coast. If he concentrated, he could smell a trace of the sea in the air. It looked like a storm was   
coming. Sighing, he finished up his breathing exercises. He hated wet weather; it always seemed to   
zap his energy. Storms in winter were the worse. Not only did the dampness bother him, but the   
cold also seemed to creep right into his bones.  
  
Standing up to stretch the stiffness out of his muscles, he shook a fist at the gray sliver in the sky,   
and shouted, "I'm not going to let you bother me this time! I'm not an old man!" Or at least, he   
wasn't going to let it show. He squatted back down, face in his hands, eyes half shut. He wasn't   
going to let anybody realize how tired he felt when the storm came. He knew he was short-  
tempered and moody at times, but when he was tired, it seemed ten times worse. He wasn't going   
to let it catch him off guard, rushing him into a fight with that damned Rat, and making him lose   
once again. He wasn't going to shout at Tohru for no reason again. He didn't want to see her   
bewildered expression, or even pity in her face.   
  
He remembered the looks of concern his Shishou had tried to hide from him, during the particularly   
long rainy periods when he was feeling his worse. Kyou had caught them anyways, and even now,   
a small wave of shame washed through him from his memories. He couldn't help it. Shishou had   
sat down with him and tried to explain that it wasn't something to be ashamed about, that it wasn't   
even really a weakness. So by now he had almost accepted it as a fact of life, but still - damn cat   
spirit! Why did he have to be cursed by it? None of the others seemed to be bothered by the   
dampness! A double curse!  
  
Looking down from his perch on the roof, there were few animals in view. The few birds he did see   
were all frantically feeding by the birdfeeder they had put up; the one that the three of them had put   
up. That was something that was becoming more and more common as the weeks rolled by. Doing   
things together, Tohru somehow linking them, keeping the peace.  
  
Seeing Yuki still irritated him, but he no longer felt the blinding urge to pummel him every single   
time they met face to face. Now their fights came about just once out of every four or five times   
that they found themselves together, and even then, it never seemed to get much beyond words   
these days. Whether this sort of truce was more for Tohru's sake, or the fact that it was pointless   
and tiring to be fighting every five minutes, Kyou himself wasn't sure. He had a couple of reasons   
to give that Rat a good beating, but he had other things that he wanted to do too. Perhaps the   
reasons to fight were growing less important now? Despite himself, Kyou felt his mouth quirk up   
into a wry grin. Was he finally growing up? If so, it was too bad he still always lost.  
  
Strangely, the birds weren't fighting over the food as usual. The larger birds ignored each other, not   
trying to hoard the best of the seeds for themselves. The little ones seemed to have puffed up their   
chest feathers and bravely pecked at the food side by side with the larger birds. All was silent, no   
bird songs, and no shrieks from the crows. His face darkened, it was going to be a bad storm. A   
sudden gust of wind snaked down the front of his shirt, and he pulled his leather jacket closer   
together. It was time to go back in, enough training for one morning. He climbed back down the   
ladder.  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Thanks Honda-san, breakfast was very good this morning," said Yuki as he put his bowl into the   
sink.  
  
"Really? Thank you! I tried a new sauce recipe today." Tohru gathered up the rest of the bowls and   
plates off the table, including Shigure's. Yuki glared at his lazy cousin.  
  
"Ahh! Wasn't that just great! I love Tohru-kun's cooking. Nothing like a warm breakfast to start   
off a cold winter's day!" Shigure sat patting his stomach, eyes half closed. Burp. Sensing   
something, he opened his eyes, "Er, excuse me. Heh? Yuki-kuuun, why are you glaring at me so   
harshly for?! I said I was sorry didn't I? Tohru-kun! Yuki's making scary faces at me! Argh! Make   
him stop!" whined Shigure.  
  
"Baka! The least you could do is bring your own stuff to the sink (you lazy old man)! Here, let me   
help you, Honda-san," Yuki took some of the pieces out of Tohru's hands, and carried them to the   
sink.  
  
"That's okay. I don't mind," replied Tohru as she started to wash the last of the breakfast dishes.  
  
"Still . . ." Standing beside her, cloth in hand, Yuki glanced at her smiling face and sighed. In the   
background, he could still hear Shigure whining and protesting about how he (Shigure) always   
helped Tohru out with the household chores - when he had time. He glanced up as the door slid   
open. It was the Baka Neko.  
  
Kyou stopped just inside the room, staring at them, "You - why? It's Sunday, don't you know?"  
  
"So? What does it matter to you?" He turned his back on Kyou, and continued to dry the dishes that   
Tohru handed to him.  
  
For a moment, Kyou's hair bristled, then he shrugged and walked over to the fridge. "Makes no   
difference to me that you're dressed in uniform on a Sunday," taking a carton of milk out of the   
fridge, he took a long swig from it. "You don't usually wake up early on the weekends either."   
Bending down to put the carton back, he noticed that it was the only carton left. "Tohru, I think   
we're almost out of milk."  
  
"Oh? We are? Let me see." Rushing over to stand close beside Kyou, Tohru checked inside the   
fridge. "You're right, just one left. Kyou-kun really likes milk, ne?" She smiled up at him, and   
Kyou found himself staring at her face, fascinated yet again. Her smiling face was so close.  
  
"Baka Neko! You're the one that drinks most of the milk. Do you expect Honda-san to lug milk   
back every day for you?" said Yuki, with a strong undercurrent of irritability. Shigure hid a small   
smile behind his fan, as he watched the proceedings. It was fun to see that calm exterior of Yuki's   
break every now and then, and it was starting to occur more and more often. Sharing the house with   
his two younger cousins and Tohru-kun, certainly kept things entertaining.  
  
Meanwhile, Kyou had stiffened up, cat eyes glaring at Yuki, fists clenched at his side. "When did I   
ever say that?! Idiot Rat! Tohru, did I ever ask you to buy me milk every day?!" He turned to   
Tohru, only realizing too late the angry expression that must have been on his face.  
  
"Eto - no, you didn't, but don't worry. It's no trouble for me to pick some up on the way back."   
Tohru glanced back and forth between the boys.  
  
"Never mind. I can get the milk myself," and closed the fridge door quickly. Tohru barely had time   
to step back.  
  
"Baka Neko! Watch what you're doing. You almost hurt Honda-san!" cried Yuki.  
  
"Stop calling me that! Why don't you go back to sleep, you're obviously not ready to be awake   
yet!" Kyou shouted back.  
  
"Ano - please stop! It's all right. I'm alright!" Tohru desperately tried to calm the two down, but   
with no success.  
  
Shigure decided it was time to step in, with his much-vaulted maturity (well, actually it was mostly   
self-proclaimed). "Now, now boys. I'm sure you didn't mean to heap all the work on Tohru-kun.   
Kyou-kun, Yuki is just thinking of Tohru-kun. And he clearly isn't use to being awake this early on   
the weekend, so just calm down. To patch things up, why don't all three of you go to the grocery   
store, hand-in-hand and pick up more milk and groceries. I wouldn't mind some more beer either.   
Hm, or better yet, Tohru should stay home with me to keep me company while you two go!"  
  
As one, the two boys turned to their older cousin, "You! Stay out of this, you lazy old man!"  
  
Shigure whipped out a handkerchief and started to dab away at fake tears, and then bawled, " 'Old'   
they say. They're always calling me old! I'm not even 30 yet! And here I am. Sharing my heart and   
roof with them. And what do they do? They break my house, my furniture, my heart, and call me   
'old'! Oh why are they so mean! Spoiled, ungrateful brats!"  
  
Tohru stared at Shigure with round eyes, but the boys just turned their backs on his theatrics, a   
popped vein on each of their foreheads.  
  
"Tohru-kun!" exclaimed Shigure.  
  
"Hai?"  
  
"Do you think I'm old?"  
  
"Eh? No of course not. And you're looking very smart in your new suit today."  
  
The two boys glanced around in surprise at Tohru's remark.  
  
"Honto? Well I am going to a special conference meeting for writers and publishers today.   
Afterwards, I'll be dropping by to see Akito-san. He's been asking after us, especially about Yuki   
and Kyou. So Tohru-kun, would you like to go with me to the conference? Everybody would be so   
jealous if I bring a high school girl as my date. I can just see their faces now! Maybe you could   
invite some of your girlfriends? A girl in a short mini-skirt on each arm! Please? Please, please be   
my date?" Shigure's eyes swirled as he daydreamed.  
  
Two fists suddenly came flying out of nowhere, and knocked Shigure to the floor. From his new   
vantage point on the ground, a very angry Kyou and Yuki entered his field of vision. A fiery aura   
shone around each of them. Tohru stood behind them, blushing a deep red.  
  
"Shut-up you old pervert!"  
  
Tohru peeked from behind Kyou's shoulder, "Gomen, Shigure-san. I'm sorry, but I already made   
plans to go shopping for Christmas presents with Uo-chan and Hana-chan today."  
  
Almost like magic, Shigure sprang back up into a sitting position. "Christmas presents? Really?   
Don't spend too much money, but please get me a good one!" Then he jumped up and away before   
the boys could have another go at him. "Ta-ta! I'm off now. I might stay over for supper at Akito-  
san's so don't wait for me tonight. Yuki-kun! Shouldn't you be going to your school meeting now?   
Shall we leave together?"   
  
"School meeting? Are you having a student council meeting today, Yuki-kun?" asked Tohru.  
  
"Hai. We're planning for the school festival today. And later, we're supposed to go out for an end   
of the year celebration supper and karaoke party. I don't really want to go but . . ." Yuki picked up   
his school bag, and started to follow after Shigure into the hallway, when he felt a tug on his sleeve.  
  
"No. You really should go." It was Tohru.  
  
"Huh? I just said that I was going."  
  
"Yes, but I meant that you should want to go. I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself. It sounds like a lot of   
fun. The others really like you. So, remember to have some fun instead of just watching everyone   
else. I'm sure Yuki-kun will fit right in. Okay?"  
  
Blushing slightly, Yuki nodded in agreement. "I'll try. I better get going now, or I'll be late." He   
glanced down to where her fingers still held on to his sleeve. Tohru's eyes followed his and then   
she blushed as well; quickly, she snatched her hand away.  
  
"Hai, of course. Maybe I can walk out with you and Shigure-san? I'm supposed to meet Uo-chan   
and Hana-chan soon too." Looking back at Kyou, she noticed that he had his face turned away from   
Yuki and herself, arms crossed. "Kyou-kun, I left some lunch in the fridge. You just have to warm   
it up. I'll be back before supper, so please don't worry about tonight."  
  
Shigure popped his head back into the room. "Hehe! I heard that! Kyou-kun and Tohru-kun can   
have a candlelight dinner together tonight! Just the two of them - whoo-hoo! Don't do anything I   
wouldn't do, Kyou-kuuuuuun!" sang Shigure.  
  
"Shut-up! There's no way I would do anything you would even remotely consider doing, you old   
pervert!" Blushing a bright red, Kyou muttered aside, "Karoke party - the stupid Rat probably can't   
sing in key anyway." Catching Tohru's eyes, he awkwardly replied, "Ignore that idiot. I'm fine.   
Don't worry about my lunch, or rushing home to make supper for me. If necessary I can manage to   
whip something up for myself, unlike that walking disaster in the kitchen!" indicating Yuki with a   
flick of his hand.  
  
"Hmph. Come on, let's leave the jealous fool. Shall we go now Honda-san?" The three made their   
way to the front door, but before they could open it, Kyou made another remark.  
  
"Try to return home early tonight."  
  
They stared back at Kyou blankly. A question clearly marked on each of their faces.  
  
"There's going to be a bad storm tonight," continued Kyou, eyes lowered, not meeting their curious   
looks. For a moment there was silence.  
  
Shigure finally laughed, "Oh Kyou! Are you scared to be alone at night? Don't you have a black   
belt in the martial arts? Tohru-kun will keep you safe!" Without much luck, Tohru tried to protest   
against Shigure's continued teasing. "Or maybe you're only telling Tohru-kun to come home early.   
Do you have something up your sleeve?"   
  
Yuki just stared at Kyou, wondering what he could be up to.  
  
"How many times do I have to tell you to shut up, you old pervert! All I'm doing is warning the lot   
of you! It's going to start snowing in the afternoon, and it's going to continue!" shouted Kyou.  
  
Shigure opened the door, and then looked back at the others. "Come on now, Kyou-kun. You   
expect me to believe that, in this part of the country? Look, the sky's bright blue, and there's hardly   
a cloud in sight!" A brief pause and then, in a quieter voice, "Thanks for the warning though, I'll   
keep it in mind." With a calm smile, he grabbed his briefcase and walked outside.   
  
"Don't worry Kyou-kun. I'll be home by mid-afternoon anyway. Thanks for the warning," said   
Tohru smiling. Still rather flushed in the face from Shigure's earlier insinuations, she followed the   
older Sohma out the door.  
  
Sighing, Kyou started to turn away when he noticed that Yuki was still standing there, staring at   
him. "What are you looking at, Rat?" he scowled, both hands stuffed deep into his trousers'   
pockets.   
  
"Nothing." Yuki turned to follow the other two, when Kyou surprised him again.  
  
"Yuki. I'm telling the truth. Either get home early, or go somewhere else that's safe."  
  
Yuki turned his head to look at Kyou, but he had already left the hallway. Wordlessly, Yuki   
stepped out and closed the door.  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Walking between the two Sohmas down the wooded path, Tohru gazed at the sky through the bare   
branches. "Do you think Kyou-kun is right? I mean the sky looks so calm and blue right now, and   
there's hardly even frost on the ground," Tohru asked.  
  
Yuki shrugged, "He's probably just imagining things. Maybe the idiot's coming down with   
something, acting so weird." He thought back to Kyou's strange parting remark to him. He was still   
a bit shocked that Kyou had pointedly warned him too. Concern for Honda-san, he could   
understand, and maybe even for Shigure, but weren't the two of them mortal enemies? Or at least,   
wasn't that what Kyou thought? He supposed that even a guy as transparent as Kyou might have   
some secrets and a few thoughts that went deeper than the surface of his face. Well, aside from the   
secret that hung over the inner Sohmas' lives.  
  
Before he could ponder more over the subject, Shigure added his own comments on the matter.   
"Well Tohru-kun, you know about our, uh - special circumstances, and the - 'skills' that come with   
them. Possibly, Kyou-kun's little friends gave him some warning. Although I didn't hear anything   
from my own companions."   
  
"Really? That's great to have such wonderful pets, er, companions!" exclaimed Tohru. A picture of   
cute little cats walking up to warn Kyou swam though her mind. She giggled at the image.  
  
Meanwhile Yuki swung his head to look at his older cousin in surprise. He hadn't consider that   
possibility at all, and usually he was fairly good at discerning the whys and how of things. He   
supposed it could be true, his own little informants had been rather quiet the last day or so. Perhaps   
they were busy making sure their winter homes were well prepared. Running a quick hand through   
his hair, he aimlessly kicked a pebble out of his way. Whatever the case, he was still suspicious   
about why Kyou had pointedly warned him about the weather too. Was Kyou so jealous about the   
party that he wanted to ruin it for him?  
  
With a subtle glance, Shigure checked to see what the others thought of his remarks as they   
continued to walk along. With the dreamy expression on her face, Tohru-kun was probably   
thinking about cute little pet cats. Yuki on the other hand seemed to be deep in thought. Few things   
got by that sharp-eyed Rat!  
  
He, himself, knew of course. The first time Kazuma-san, Kyou's beloved Shishou, had visited after   
the boys had moved in, they had sat down for a quiet discussion about Kyou. They went over   
Kyou's quirks, his tendencies, his attitude, and a few other things that the rest of the family might   
have suspected, but didn't know for sure. His alternative transformation aside, there were other   
'side effects' that the other jyuunishi members didn't have to deal with.  
  
Shigure wasn't sure he was the best person to help keep these 'secrets', but beside Hatori, who else   
was there? Kazuma was obviously concerned enough about Kyou that he felt Shigure should know   
at least a few things. For instance, unlike other people, it wasn't just rainy day blahs for Kyou.   
Though Kazuma hadn't exactly said it, Shigure suspected that Kyou had by now, developed a sort   
of weather sense, just like all the old people with their arthritic bones and sensitive nerves. He   
wondered if Yuki knew just how drained Kyou felt on rainy days.  
  
Suddenly he heard Tohru's cheerful voice again. "Shigure-san. Yuki-kun. I guess we go our   
separate ways from here. I'll see you when you get back tonight! Bye-bye!" and with that, Tohru   
walked up the street that had appeared at the end of the dirt path. She was apparently oblivious to   
the deep thoughts of her housemates.  
  
"Bye Honda-san! Please pass my greetings to Uotani-san and Hanajima-san for me," replied Yuki.   
Tohru waved back in acquiescence.   
  
"See you later Tohru-kun!" added Shigure. Then when she was almost out of sight, they turned and   
continued on down the street for another block or so. "Okay Yuki, I guess we part here. If your   
party ends early, try to get home as soon as possible. If not, then maybe you should stay over at the   
main house. Haru and Momiji would love to see you. And then, it's been awhile since you've seen   
Akito-san, hasn't it?" Shigure caught the sudden stiffening in Yuki's form, though he tried to act   
nonchalantly about it. So, there was still that hold on Yuki. He mentally shook his head before   
giving Yuki a bright smile.  
  
"Well I guess I'm off then. Dateless, because of you two boys! You sure you don't want to join me   
as my date? I hear the food will be good!" he joked.  
  
Yuki managed to push his earlier thoughts away and glared at Shigure, "Shut-up. Who would want   
to go with the likes of you!? I'll see you later - back at home." He quickly turned his back to his   
cousin and almost quick marched away.  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Kyou stood staring out from his bedroom balcony. The cold wind blew past him to swirl the pages   
of his homework inside. Closing his eyes, he remembered the rather blank expressions that the   
others had given him. He still wasn't sure what possessed him to warn them. Or what was even   
more puzzling to himself was why he had pointedly warned that irritating Yuki as well. Let the Rat   
freeze in a snowdrift for all he cared!  
  
His weather sense was undoubtedly related to his double curses, and by association it wasn't   
something he wanted revealed. He didn't want to explain it to others, to reveal another weakness.   
"As long as Tohru returns safely," he tried to tell himself. "I want to beat him in a fair fight. That   
won't happen if he's sick or gone. It's not like I worry about him or Shigure, but -" Like the wind,   
his thoughts swirled past him. He couldn't pin them down.  
  
Finally exasperated by his confusing emotions, he stepped back in, slamming the door shut.   
Ignoring his homework, he grabbed his coat and ran down the stairs to put his shoes on. He would   
get the milk himself. Nodding at his decision and glad of having something to do other than wonder   
about his feelings or intentions, he opened the door and looked up at the sky. Yes, it would be best   
if he went now, before the storm got any closer.  
  
Standing outside, he took a deep breath before turning back to latch the door. Suddenly he felt a   
soft warm body brush up against his leg. Looking down, he saw that it was a member of his animal   
followers, his constant companions. Bending down he absently patted the smoke gray cat. Purring,   
the cat pushed at his hand. He noted that this was a new mother, and wondered where her kittens   
were. Wasn't it a bit strange to have kittens at this time of the year?  
  
Abruptly she stopped purring, her head twisted and she nipped at his hand. "Why you!" Pulling his   
hand away, Kyou stared into the blue eyes, "Oh. I see." Standing up, he went back into the house   
and examined his options. Finally he decided on Shigure's study. Shigure would be gone all day,   
and he would probably wake up late the next morning anyway. The room was on the ground floor,   
cozy and somewhat out of the way. He slid the door open and started to walk back to the waiting   
cat. On a whim, he ran up and grabbed his empty knapsack, before heading back down to the front   
door.  
  
"Okay, I've done as you asked. Well?" he asked the cat. In his present form, he doubted the animal   
understood his words, but he could touch her mind. She laid a smoke gray paw on his shoe for   
moment and then sat back on her haunches, waiting. "Aren't you -? Fine. I'll be leaving now then.   
Don't make a mess, and if there are others . . ." He pulled the front door almost to a close, stepped   
past the cat, and walked down the path. She was a wild stray, and despite their special connection,   
she was still wary of him. All cats were independent and held a certain aloofness; he understood   
that she didn't want to reveal the site where she had hid her kittens, even to him. He suddenly   
realized that the storm might be worse than he had thought. Slipping a hand into his pocket to   
check for money, his feet started him on a light jog towards the rest of civilization.   
  
-------------------------------------------------------------- 


	2. Onset

Winter Storm (v 5.0)  
By Kelpy  
Email: dragon@smadar.ca  
Copyright December 2001-2002  
Category: Drama/Humor  
Rating: PG-13  
  
A 'Fruits Basket' Fan Fiction  
Original manga series by Takaya Natsuki  
Published by Hana to Yume Comics (Japan)  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------  
  
This piece of work is not to be sold in any form. Takaya Natsuki or Hana to Yume Comics has not   
authorized this piece in any way. It may be downloaded for personal reading. Please contact me   
before presenting it for public use (posting to message boards/mailing lists, web sites, etc).   
--------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Part 2: Onset   
  
"Hey Tohru! We're waiting over here!" Uotani's loud voice was matched only by her exuberant   
hand waving. Some of the busy shoppers glanced over at the tall blonde, dressed in a long skirt and   
a matching long white coat. "A member of one of those girl gangs!" was the first thought that   
passed through many of their heads, but something puzzled them. Standing closely beside her, in   
front of the shopping district's main water fountain, stood a shorter girl. This one was rather prim   
looking with her long tight braid in the back and dressed all in black. She had a certain elegance to   
her, though her black ensemble was a touch scary. Clearly this was not a normal girl gang, if that   
was what these two represented.  
  
For the few that stopped long enough to ponder over this curious twosome, they were further   
surprised to see a third girl run up to hug and join them. This girl was the shortest of them all, and   
she also had the widest smile. Dressed like most other high school girls her age, there was a sense   
of cheerfulness that seemed to spring from her open expression. Not realizing, most of the   
onlookers walked away with a smile on their faces. Some of them wondered if they were watching   
the birth of a new idol-singing group - why else would such a group of disparate individuals be   
together?   
  
Hanajima smiled at her dearest friend and gave her a calm wave as she ran towards them. She   
ignored the curious stares they were gathering. She had long since learned to ignore the looks that   
strangers, indeed, even some acquaintances, gave her. She only hoped that Tohru wouldn't notice,   
or at least, that she wouldn't mind.  
  
"Good morning Tohru-kun. How are you feeling? Ready to go shopping?" Hanajima returned   
Tohru's warm hug. She could feel the arms of her other friend wrapped tightly around Tohru as   
well. It was a nice moment of warmness they shared in the crisp morning air. Sometimes she was   
still caught in wonder at this friendship of theirs.  
  
"Hai! Good morning Uo-chan! Good morning Hana-chan! I hope you didn't wait too long?   
Shigure-san and Yuki-kun were going out too this morning, so we all walked out together."  
  
"Heh? So that loud-mouth guy is stuck at home all alone today?" asked Uotani as she pushed her   
bangs back out of the way.  
  
"Un. There's only Kyou-kun to look after the house today."  
  
Hanajima fixed one of the ribbons in Tohru's hair before asking, "So where shall we go shopping   
today? Is there anything special you want to get, Tohru-kun?"  
  
"Well, if you don't mind, there are a few places I need to go to. I would like to get some chocolates   
for Christmas, but first can we go to the hat store?"  
  
"The hat store! Why do you want to go there?! Are you cold, Tohru?" Uotani gave her an anxious   
look.  
  
"Er, no. That's not it." Tohru couldn't help but blush a little.  
  
Hanajima with a little more insight guessed correctly that it was for Christmas presents. "But   
Tohru-kun, we told you not to buy us anything this year. We're happy just spending time together   
with you."  
  
"Thank you Hana-chan, both of you are such great friends! However the presents are for other   
people."  
  
"Huh?" The two taller girls gave their friend matching blank stares.  
  
Tohru giggled at their surprised faces. "Before you mentioned it, I already got something ready for   
both of you. So you can't ask me to return them, right? I also got a pen set for Shigure-san, but I   
haven't bought anything for Kyou-kun or Yuki-kun yet."  
  
"So that's it. Well in that case, let's go!" Uotani and Hanajima each slipped an arm through   
Tohru's and they marched off together towards the shop.  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Shigure let out a low sigh as he sat through his third speech of the day. And it wasn't even   
lunchtime yet! He tried to stretch out his long legs in front of him, but the auditorium was packed.   
By mistake he kicked the chair in front of him but before the person could start to turn his head,   
Shigure had already whispered a quiet apology. He wondered if he heard though, since the person   
to Shigure's left was snoring rather loudly. Oh well.  
  
He tried not to fidget but the wooden chairs were pitifully uncomfortable. The fans overhead   
whirred slowly, a low background hum to the speaker's only slightly less monotonous speech. They   
had turned the heat on, and it was getting fairly stuffy inside. He hid a yawn and then glanced over   
to his right. Despite teasing Yuki and Tohru-kun earlier about bringing one of them as his date, he   
already had a companion of sorts today. Well, with the way things were going, it was more like   
having a fellow prisoner to commiserate with. Mit-chan, his editor, had insisted on coming to take   
notes and supposedly to scope out new talent. He could still remember her ridiculous shouting last   
week about finding a more dependable writer to replace him. No doubt she was just trying to scare   
him into finishing his latest manuscript faster. Shigure smiled slightly at the memory.  
  
They had met up at the registration tables before entering the auditorium together. At first she had   
furiously scribbled every little thing the first speaker said, in her neat little notebook. Then she took   
to writing down only the so-called important points. By now, her pages were filled more with   
doodles than words. Near the top of the current page, Shigure caught a drawing of the present   
speaker with horns on her head and a huge mouth that stretched from ear to ear. He quickly stifled a   
laugh - it was actually a fair likeness aside from the exaggerations.  
  
Lower down the page, something else caught his eyes. He leaned closer to look. It was a picture of   
himself! After a moment of surprise, his lips spread out into a small smile. It was a really good   
likeness of his face, although perhaps a bit nicer looking than he was in real life. Unlike Ayame, he   
never proclaimed himself as the handsomest man on the earth. He gently nudged her elbow to get   
her attention. Mit-chan looked up at him with a rather blank look on her face. Poor girl, despite her   
usual energetic exhortations, she was obviously getting tired too. Shigure smiled wider and   
indicated his portrait on her page with a flick of his finger. Realizing what he was smiling about, a   
soft blush rose in her cheeks as she quickly clamped the notebook closed.  
  
Shigure let a chuckle escape as Mit-chan refused to meet his eyes. Instead she feigned undivided   
attention to the same speaker she had just made fun of in her doodles. Shigure sat back and let her   
have her way for now. After this speech, it would be time to eat. There would be plenty of time to   
tease her then.  
  
As the speaker continued to drone on, he again appreciated the solid work relationship he had   
developed with Mit-chan. For a cursed Sohma with plans, this type of long-term relationship with a   
member of the opposite sex was perhaps ideal. A fairly serious young woman intent on her career,   
he knew she didn't have the time now to look for a romantic match. Certainly, with his teasing and   
deliberately late manuscripts, it kept her busier than she might have been. Her antics amused him   
though, so he continued.  
  
Her presence gave him a break from writing and also from working on his strategies to maneuver   
the jyuunishi and others towards the fulfillment of his dream. For now, they were useful to each   
other. They worked well as a team, and could escort each other to special functions if necessary. If   
his dream came true, who knew what would happen? Mit-chan might then play a larger part in his   
personal life, or then again, she might not. There was another he had dated before, but it was no use   
thinking about it now. The image of long flowing hair briefly passed before his eyes. As for the   
desires of the body, well, that stuff would have to wait for now.  
  
As the speaker finally wound to a finish, everybody stood up and applauded. It was probably more   
in anticipation for lunch than anything else. In his case, Shigure was just glad it was over and he   
could finally stretch out his tense limbs and get something to drink soon. As they started filing out   
of the auditorium, Mit-chan wobbled and started to fall backwards towards him. Shigure caught her   
just in time, and pulled her back up.  
  
"Sorry about that Sensei! My legs must have fallen asleep."  
  
"Yeah right. I bet you were just trying to get me to hug you. Wasn't that exactly like that part in my   
fourth novel, where the heroine plans this all out to…" he teased, eyes sparkling.  
  
"Baka! What are you trying to say? You're talking like an idiot again," cried Mit-chan looking up   
at him, though she was blushing quite brightly at the same time. Quickly swinging back around, she   
was oblivious to the fact that she had hit several people with her briefcase.   
  
"Nothing my dear little editor, nothing. Shall we get something to eat now?" Shigure smothered   
another chuckle as he gave her a little push to guide her through the crowd.  
  
"Oh yes please! I'm starved! I didn't have time to eat breakfast since I was worried you wouldn't   
make it here on time. I would have phoned you, except I knew you wouldn't have picked up the   
phone so early in the morning anyway. So I was going over all the emergency plans in case you   
didn't show up. Remember that we have to meet up with the executives from several different   
bookstore chains later on! It would have been disastrous if you were not present to talk about your   
latest book!"  
  
"Yes, yes. Let's hurry and get something to stuff into that ever-opening mouth of yours now."   
Shigure steered Mit-chan into the buffet line in front of him.  
  
"Sensei!" was the only indignant reply she got out before her eyes glazed over in happiness upon   
seeing the mounds of food on the serving table.  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------  
  
In the student council room, Yuki finished giving his short proposal for the festival. As usual, the   
others seemed to love his ideas. Even the student council president approved of them, and   
immediately started everybody on working out the plans and details. Sitting back down in his chair,   
Yuki sighed. He wondered if people actually took time to think over his proposals. He knew that   
his ideas were generally good, and he was certainly intelligent, but it scared him a bit at the alacrity   
at which others followed his lead. The president would sometimes make a show of thinking things   
over, and look for other ideas, but it seemed that Yuki's initial suggestions always won out.  
  
There was a certain sense of pride in having all this approbation from the others. Certainly that   
idiot, single-minded Kyou wouldn't have come up with so many useful and successful proposals!   
Unbidden, his mind once again turned to the questions that had been plaguing him ever since Kyou   
joined the school. "What did the other students think of Kyou? What did they really think of him,   
Yuki? Did they suspect anything?" Over and over again, he pictured the way Kyou had simply fit   
himself into regular school life within a week of entering, despite his fears and reservations. Their   
classmates had simply accepted him, Kyou's regular loudmouth self, with barely a second thought.   
Barring the Sohma secret, Kyou didn't seem to hide anything. In fact, he was quite popular in his   
own way with everyone, though Kyou was apparently blind to it all.  
  
At least that's what it seemed like to Yuki. While they gave him all their undivided devotion when   
it came to class projects and leadership roles, it was Kyou that they joked around with. It was Kyou   
that they all gathered around during the break times. It was Kyou that they counted as one of their   
own. Yuki on the other hand, they placed on a pedestal, someone to admire from afar. Of course it   
wasn't all their fault. Yuki knew he seemed unreachable. He couldn't help it. He longed to be with   
them, but it still scared him. He was still peeling away his outer layers, like an onion. Damn that   
Akito and what he did to him. At least now he could pinpoint the reason for his feelings and fear,   
and try to do something about them.  
  
"Yuki-kun. Did you hear what I said, Yuki-kun?!" a voice woke him out of his reverie.  
  
"Huh? Ah senpai. Gomen. I was just thinking of something." The older student, a female of course,   
seemed in Yuki's eyes, to be leaning unnaturally close to him.  
  
She smiled at him, "That's alright. I bet you were thinking of even better ideas for the festival,   
right? Well, the president said that if we get all the preliminary plans done and divide everything up   
now, then we could get started on our party earlier. Wouldn't that be great! I'm supposed to head   
the food committee. So I was just wondering if you would like to work on this part together?"  
  
Too close! Yuki's warning signals were blaring in his head. Then he thought of Tohru's words, and   
his resolve to mix in with the 'normal people'. "Uh, sure senpai! Let's do it. With more people   
working together, it'll be finished faster. I'm looking forward to the party too."  
  
"Really!? I've been looking forward to a party with Yuki-kun for a long time! Yuki-kun's never   
gone out with us after the meetings!" She flashed him a huge smile, while Yuki unconsciously   
moved back a bit.   
  
Yuki turned to the male senpai sitting on his right, "Would you like to help us out too?"  
  
"What?! Sure! I'd love to work in a group with dear little Yuki-chan!" He shifted his stuff to sit in a   
group with them, smiling eagerly.  
  
Yuki tried to hide a shiver that was running down his back. Maybe this wasn't the right time to   
'mix-in' with the others. Meanwhile, his other two group members were bickering over what was   
the proper name to call him.   
  
Yuki sighed. This was going to be a long meeting. He'd better take charge - again.  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Kyou finally walked out of the crowded store, letting out a deep sigh of relief, and quickly moved   
away. A stuffed bag in each hand, the knapsack on his back also held some groceries. He hadn't   
lived alone in the mountains for all those months without at least learning that one should prepare   
for bad weather to the best of one's capabilities. So not only had he bought four cartons of milk, but   
he had also bought some canned and dried goods, along with batteries, kerosene and candles as   
well. Survival food for waiting out a storm in the suburbs - that's what it was. So what if the others   
laughed at him? The checkout lady had looked at him questioningly, but Kyou had just ignored her.   
He paid her, stuffed the milk into his backpack, grabbed the two remaining bags and left without   
saying a word.  
  
All around him, people were busy walking about, shopping for Christmas and so on. He wanted to   
yell at them all, warn them about the storm. He knew though, that if he did, they would have just   
thought him a total fool. After all, the weather reports only indicated a chance of precipitation.   
Instead he trudged on through the crowd.  
  
Suddenly, he blinked his eyes. A large fluffy snowflake had fallen onto his long eyelashes. With a   
blink, it had quickly melted away on his cheek. Then another fell on his nose. Looking up, he could   
see that the skies had already darken, though the large storm clouds had yet to roll in. These first   
few flakes were just a warning to those who knew what to look for. His own body of course, was   
already starting to tell him how tired he felt. Kyou tried to ignore it, but finally decided to rest   
against the corner of a building while he waited for the crosswalk lights to change. The people   
around him took no notice of him as they hurried by. The few passersby that became aware of the   
sudden appearance of the snow rejoiced in its cold beauty. Kyou scowled at them all.  
  
The lights changed, and he crossed the street. As he walked by a narrow alleyway, a soft little   
meow caught his ears. Spying a pair of green eyes amongst the litter in the street, he took a quick   
look around to make sure no one was looking, and then sidestepped into the alley. Bending down   
he tried to coax the cat out from his hiding spot. A sudden gust of wind caught hold of the   
newspaper on top of the cat and revealed not one, but five pairs of cat eyes!  
  
"What!? Not all of you! What do you expect me to do?"  
  
The father cat, for that was what it turned out to be, a ginger tom, hissed and then turned his back   
on Kyou. His mate however, gazed silently back at Kyou, three sleepy-eyed kittens curled at her   
side. Two kittens took a good look at him, and then closed their eyes, snuggling closer their mother.   
The third, a marmalade-coloured kitten with two white paws in the front, decided to stand up, and   
made its wobbly way over to Kyou's right shoe. It meowed pleadingly at him. Kyou was only   
somewhat surprised to find himself petting the winsome little kitten as it now purred happily under   
his hand's warmth.  
  
"Don't you have anywhere else to go? Someone else to help you?" he sighed. The mother cat   
continued to stare at him. "I can't . . . Not every cat in town . . ." The tomcat swung his head around   
and glared. Finally, Kyou gave up, defeated by the determined parents and the cute little kitten now   
gently gnawing at his thumb. "Fine, let me just rearrange my things."  
  
Looking at the family of cats, he wondered how he was going to transport them all home. The adult   
cats could probably walk all the way with no problems, but the kittens? He already had to carry two   
grocery bags plus his knapsack, and he only had two hands! Giving another sigh, he started to   
unpack his knapsack. Instead of the cold milk cartons, he replaced them with canned food. Then he   
grabbed some of the newspaper and put it on top to provide some padding. The two adult cats had   
now sat up tall, gently twitching their tails. There seemed to be an expression of approval on their   
faces (and perhaps even a little smugness in the father's.) Kyou tried to give them a little scowl, but   
it was hard with three kittens now scrambling all over his lap.   
  
He smiled softly as he lifted the kittens and put them into the knapsack. Without warning, the   
mother cat suddenly jumped in as well. Kyou stared blankly at the bundle of cats, then shrugged his   
shoulders and closed the flap, leaving it unbuckled. The tomcat stood up, but remained on the   
ground. Catching Kyou's gaze, the cat told him that he would catch up with them on the path home   
later on, and then suddenly leaped away.  
  
"Hey wait! Do you even know where I live?" Kyou called out.  
  
The ginger tom glared back for a couple of seconds and twitched his tail as if to say, "Of course,"   
and then bounded away out of sight.  
  
"Whatever. Guess I'm taking you lot with me though," Kyou grinned at his knapsack. He suddenly   
wondered if there were any other stray cats nearby that would need help. He didn't have the time or   
strength to run around town checking though. So he closed his eyes, took a deep breath and sent out   
a general question that only his animal companions could hear.  
  
"Kyou. What are you doing here? And who are you talking to?" Kyou spun around in his crouch,   
and almost fell over. There stood Haru in a long, deep red leather coat, with his usual assortment of   
chains and stuff.  
  
"None of your business!" growled Kyou, upset that his younger cousin had managed to sneak up on   
him just now. "What are you doing here (sneaking up on a person like that)?" He decided to ignore   
the other question.  
  
"Oh, nothing much. I called your house, but no one was home, so I thought I'd take a walk on this   
nice day. Then the sky started to darken and look, it just started to snow. Look Kyou, it's light   
fluffy snowflakes, they taste good." Haru rambled on.  
  
"Will you stop already!? Geh." Kyou stood up.  
  
"You don't have to yell at me. So where's Shigure and Tohru?"  
  
"He's at some convention, and she's out shopping with her friends."  
  
"What about Yuki? Where did he go?" Haru swayed in closer to ask.  
  
"If you can believe it, the Rat's at school on a Sunday. Some meeting and later, a party or   
something."  
  
"At school? A party? Without me? I wonder how he's doing?"  
  
Haru stood in silence, and Kyou could almost see his mind go around in circles. Impatient, Kyou   
finally interrupted his train of thought, "Look, while you're here, you might as well give me a hand   
with this knapsack."  
  
"Huh? Sure Kyou." Haru moved closer and helped Kyou swing the knapsack onto his back. As   
Kyou put both arms through the straps, Haru was startled when the bag started to wriggle on its   
own. Looking closer, he was greeted with some 'meows' and caught a few pairs of eyes staring   
back at him. "Oh. So, that's who you were talking to. I was sort of worried you had gone crazy and   
was talking to yourself."  
  
"Shut up and just pass me those bags will ya?" Kyou shrugged his shoulders to find a more   
comfortable resting spot for the straps of the now heavy knapsack.  
  
"It must be nice having so many to talk too. I think I envy you and Yuki. There are not many cows   
around here." Haru passed the bags to Kyou.  
  
"You must be crazy to be jealous about such a thing. So many voices to bother with, at least cats   
don't talk a lot (well except during courtship, but Kyou decided not to mention that). I'm surprised   
Yuki's head doesn't just burst. There must be hundreds more rats than cats around!"  
  
"Really. I never thought about that. I don't have that problem at all. Maybe that's another reason   
why Yuki's so quiet. Perhaps he's busy listening. Hm, I wonder who he's listening to now..."  
  
"Whatever. I don't really care. Look, I'm sick of talking about this. I'm heading back home. Don't   
tell anyone about this, uh... well, you know," Kyou jerked his head to the side to indicate the cats in   
his bag. The two boys stood silently across from each other for a moment.  
  
"Yeah," Haru finally said. He still looked a bit spaced out.  
  
"What, don't tell me you want to look for Yuki even now!?"  
  
"Well, I thought that maybe... so I came out, but now I'm sort of... and then you said"  
  
Despite feeling rather tired, Kyou started waving his arms in disgust. Inside the bag, the mother cat   
yowled in disapproval. "You're lost again, aren't you!?" He pushed the younger boy back into the   
main street. "Look, just forget about looking for Yuki today, and just go back home," Kyou gave   
Haru directions on how to get back home.  
  
"Thanks, but I really wanted to see Yuki today," the younger Sohma continued to say.  
  
Almost ready to pull his hair out, Kyou almost screamed at him again. Only the fact that he felt so   
tired, and because he didn't want to bring out Haru's darker side, kept him from doing so.  
  
"Look, you idiot. The snow's only going to get worse. I don't want anyone blaming me if you get   
lost again and disappear into a snowdrift. Got that!? I warned that irritating Rat as well. If his party   
runs late, he may even end up staying the night at the main house. So go back home already!"  
  
To Kyou's surprise, Haru suddenly smiled at him, and then reached out a hand to grab a hold of his   
shirt. Haru's adoring expression was the same irritating one he usually reserved for Yuki. It   
reminded Kyou a bit of a pet cow's gentle but rather blank liquid gaze.  
  
"What!?" Kyou almost stepped backwards. Frankly, Haru's expression put him a bit on edge. Kyou   
secretly wondered whether cows ever preyed on anyone.   
  
"Kyou's getting soft-hearted," Haru leaned in closer. "You're actually worried about me. With   
Tohru's help, even you and Yuki are developing a better relationship. That's a good thing, ne?"  
  
Kyou flushed, and stammered, "I - I don't know what you're talking about! I just gave a warning.   
I've been doing stuff like that for years, just that nobody usually listens to me."  
  
Haru continued to beam at him.  
  
Kyou gave up and sighed. "Come on. I'll walk you part way."  
"Okay, Kyou-kun!" laughed Haru as they started to walk down the street. The younger Sohma   
continued to babble about the relationship between his older cousins, Kyou just gritted his teeth in   
irritation. With his hands full, he couldn't even swipe away Haru's clutch at his shirt, at least not   
without the mother cat hissing at him.   
  
--------------------------------------------------------------  
  
In the small hat shop, the two taller girls watched as Tohru ran around looking through every shelf.  
  
"So what exactly are you looking for?" asked Uotani, as she leaned against the wall.  
  
"Um. I'm not sure, but . . .wait! Oh this is perfect!" exclaimed Tohru. She came stumbling around   
the corner, excitedly showing off her find to her two best friends.   
  
"Don't you think that this will be exactly Yuki-kun's style?" It was a black beret, with a stylish   
silver ribbon running around its lower edge.  
  
"Well, I suppose it is rather princely, like his highness," admitted Uotani.  
  
"It's perfect Tohru-kun," smiled Hanajima. "But do you really need to get them presents? You   
already help the household out so much, and I'm sure they would rather you save your money for   
yourself."  
  
Tohru hugged the hat to her chest, "Oh, but I must! They've all been so good to me. Just like Hana-  
chan and Uo-chan! It feels like a family! Really, my new, wonderful family!"  
  
Uotani laughed, "You better not let his fangirls hear you. Tell me though, why a hat?"  
  
Tohru blushed, "Well, they really have everything a person could want to buy. I noticed though,   
that they don't have any hats. At least I didn't see any, and with the winter winds, a person's head   
can get cold. That's an easy way to catch a cold, so I thought that I'd buy them each a hat. Besides,   
hats are relatively inexpensive." She blushed even redder at the last line.  
  
"Don't worry Tohru-kun. It's a perfect choice, they'll love getting a hat," Hanajima placed an arm   
around Tohru's shoulder to encourage her.  
  
"Hanajima's right. So now, what about one for that tangerine head? Why don't we help you look?"  
  
"Really Uo-chan? That would be great!" The three smiled at each other as they begun to hunt for   
Kyou's hat."  
  
The three girls spent another twenty minutes going through the store. First Uotani and then   
Hanajima would lift up a hat for Tohru's appraisal, but none of them seem to be what she had in   
mind as a gift for Kyou. Finally, half-jokingly Uotani picked up an orange wool hat and spun it   
around on her index finger, "Well we've probably been through the whole store now. This is   
probably the very last hat, so how about it, Tohru?"  
  
"Eh? Which one?" Tohru turned around and walked closer to take a look, her eyes widened. Then   
she smiled and pounced upon the hat, "Thanks Uo-chan! It's perfect!"  
  
"What? That's the one?" Both Uotani and Hanajima looked with puzzled faces at the hat in   
question. "Well I suppose it's almost the exact shade of his hair," the taller girl finally conceded.  
  
Tohru nodded enthusiastically, "Yes! There's two woolen cords as well, so he can tie the hat on   
tightly. This way, even when Kyou-kun's being energetic, the hat won't fall off. And look, it even   
has two cute little cat ears on the top!" She twitched the woolen ears with her fingers, as she   
pictured Kyou wearing her gift.  
  
Her friends stared at her wonderingly, watching her happy expression. At the same time they could   
not help but wonder if a guy would really wear such a hat out in public, even if a girl gave it to him.   
Then again, Tohru always seem to be able to touch people. First Uotani and then Hanajima started   
to laugh.  
  
"Uo-chan? Hana-chan? What's so funny? You don't think Kyou-kun will like it?" Tohru anxiously   
asked.  
  
"Ignore Arisa, Tohru-kun. It will be a very happy gift for Sohma Kyou. Shall we go and pay for   
your purchases now?" Hanajima smiled gently.  
  
"Hai!" returned Tohru excitedly.   
  
Afterwards, with her new gifts held tight to her chest, Tohru stepped outside with the others. "Oh   
look! Kyou-kun was right! It's started to snow! Isn't it lovely?" They all took a moment to watch   
the snowflakes dance gently down.  
  
"He said it would snow today? How surprising," remarked Hanajima.  
  
"Well, actually he said it would start snowing about now, and develop into a very bad storm."  
  
"Heh. I would hardly call this sparse snowfall a storm! Look, it even melts once it touches the   
ground!" exclaimed Uotani. She laughed again as a snowflake landed on her nose and disappeared.  
  
"Now that we're finished here, why don't we go for lunch then? I've developed a nice little   
hunger." Hanajima patted her stomach as her friends grinned at her.  
  
"Are you joking? You're always hungry!" laughed Uotani.  
  
"That might be true, but at least I don't go mad with hunger," Hanajima pointed out with a gleam in   
her eyes.  
  
"Mad with hunger! Did I just hear you say, 'mad with hunger'?! I don't know what you're talking   
about!" and with that Uotani started to walk across the street, back straight, eyes staring ahead.  
  
Tohru giggled, and then grabbing Hanajima's hand, she pulled her friend along as she ran to catch   
up with Uotani. Together, arm in arm, the girls quickly decided to head for the nearest burger shop.  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------- 


	3. Snow

Winter Storm (v 5.0)  
By Kelpy  
Email: dragon@smadar.ca  
Copyright December 2001-2002  
Category: Drama/Humor  
Rating: PG-13  
  
A 'Fruits Basket' Fan Fiction  
Original manga series by Takaya Natsuki  
Published by Hana to Yume Comics (Japan)  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------  
  
This piece of work is not to be sold in any form. Takaya Natsuki or Hana to Yume Comics has not   
authorized this piece in any way. It may be downloaded for personal reading. Please contact me   
before presenting it for public use (posting to message boards/mailing lists, web sites, etc).   
--------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Part 3: Snow  
  
His stomach rumbled as they waited in the long line for the buffet lunch being served. It didn't help   
that his editor, while standing in front of him, was constantly craning her neck around and giving a   
running commentary of what food was left.   
  
"Oh dear! There doesn't seem to be much seafood spaghetti left. I hope they still have some caesar   
salad when it's our turn. What do you want to eat? Sushi and tempura I supposed, ne? Oh look how   
much that balding man took! How inconsiderate can he be?! Now he's picking through the stir-fry!   
Eew! Did you see what she just did? She dropped a shrimp and then just picked it up and popped it   
back onto the serving tray! Sensei – did you hear me? We can't afford for you to get sick from   
eating contaminated food; not when you still have at least two more volumes to write before spring   
comes!" She twisted her head up and around to check on him.  
  
"Hai, hai. Here, take this first," he replied as he handed her an empty plate. "Don't worry about the   
food, see, the servers are bringing more already."  
  
"Oh, that's good. I wonder what I should get…" Mit-chan calmed down somewhat as they got   
closer to the tables.  
  
Shigure hid an inward smile at his ever-hungry editor. In her own way, once Mit-chan set her mind   
on something, nothing could deter her, especially when the something was food. She could easily   
match his own appetite, and there were times he thought she could eat even more than his still-  
growing teenaged cousins. A quick sweeping glance at her body and he figured she must expend a   
lot of energy each day going through her frantic actions. He chuckled softly, if that were true, than   
Mit-chan owed him one for acting like her personal trainer. For certain, she wouldn't be half as   
active and busy if it weren't for him! He wondered if Ritsu and his mother were the same way.  
  
"Sensei! It's finally our turn! God, I'm starved!" came Mit-chan's jubilant exclamation. She   
quickly reddened though as Shigure burst out in laughter, followed by a few other surrounding   
attendees. Delicately shrugging it off, she started to choose her lunch. It wasn't long before her   
plate was heaping full.  
  
When she suddenly stopped in line, Shigure almost bumped into her, "What's the matter, Mit-  
chan?" He watched as her eyes flicked between her own plate, and a large tureen of curry chicken.  
Sighing, he reached back and slid another empty plate forward. He should have guessed   
beforehand.  
  
Mit-chan's eyes lit up, and she quickly scooped some curry onto the new plate, "How did you   
guess? Oh, but how am I supposed to bring it to the table?" She looked down at her already filled   
plate, and then at the purse and notebook she held in her other hand.  
  
"Come on, I've got it. Seriously, what would you do without me? You owe me one!" He pushed   
one of the plates against her back to guide her towards an open table. He could hear Mit-chan   
worrying about getting the desserts already. Sitting down, they quickly started to dig into their   
food, commenting on the taste of the various dishes. A waiter came by and offered them some   
drinks, and soon they continued eating in companionable silence. As he munched away Shigure   
wondered how his cousins and Tohru were doing.   
  
Later on, after a eating a last tuna sushi roll, Shigure suddenly brightened as an idea came into his   
head. "Mit-chan, I know what you can do to repay me, I should get a one month extension on my   
next novel!"  
  
His editor choked on a spoonful of curry rice, her face turning a bright scarlet. Pushing a glass of   
water into her hands, Shigure thumped a hand on her back, "Jeez, Mit-chan. I know you're hungry   
but you really shouldn't wolf your food down like that. You're not a dog you know!" His eyes   
twinkled at his own personal joke.  
  
Finally regaining her breath, she immediately turned to Shigure, eyes wide with alarm, "Sensei!   
No! No way, you can't do that! I'll lose my job!"   
  
Shigure's eyes twinkled with glee, "Well, I suppose I couldn't do without my dear little editor, but I   
really need a vacation! I've been working so hard, I feel like I'm going to collapse, and then you   
had to drag me to this longwinded convention!" He whined and gave her sad puppy dog eyes. Mit-  
chan paused in uncertainty, completely missing the spark of deviltry hidden in his eyes.  
  
"Well, but sensei – I'm sorry but, really, we promised to have the next two volumes ready by…"  
  
Shigure leaned in closer, "Ah, but I have been careless. Poor Mit-chan looks overworked too. I   
know – I'll take you with me to the Caribbean! There we'll lounge on the beautiful beaches, and   
swim naked with fish, and then make sweet, passionate love under the shining stars!"  
  
Frozen in position from shock, the poor woman could only stare. Finally pulling the spoon slowly   
out of her mouth, her eyes almost bulged from their sockets. As a deep flush once again crept up   
her otherwise pale face, a low, faltering whisper issued from her lips, "Shi – Sensei! I couldn't, we   
shouldn't…"  
  
"But my dear editor, think how wonderful it will feel, as I run my hands through your hair and   
down your bare shoulders. The ocean waters will gently lap at our toes as you run your hands over   
my back and down over my bare…"  
  
"Sensei! But, I…" Mit-chan squirmed in her seat, thankful that at least he was speaking too softly   
in the crowded dining room to be heard by anyone else.  
  
Just as suddenly, Shigure straightened up, his hands quickly grabbing her notebook. "Hm, thanks   
Mit-chan. Those lines seem to work, I'll use it in my next romance book. Let me just write it down   
before I forget. Now what was it again? 'Swimming naked with the fish, and making sweet,   
scintillating love'? Or was it 'sweet, passionate love'?" He opened up the notebook and quickly   
scribbled something down.  
  
Tears streaming down her cheeks in embarrassment, Mit-chan's face would have fallen straight into   
her food if Shigure hadn't reflexively shot out a hand and pushed her head back.  
  
"Sensei! Why do you tease me so? Just because you've finished your lunch already!"  
  
"Hm? Well you are my editor, right? You're supposed to help me come up with ideas if I'm stuck."  
  
Sighing, Mit-chan returned to finishing the rest of her lunch, as Shigure continued to flip through   
her notebook. Finally finishing her lunch, she noticed Shigure staring intently at one page. "What   
are you looking at?"  
  
Shigure quickly wrote something down with a flourish, "Oh, just your caricature of myself. I didn't   
realize how carefully you've examined my face." He laughed as Mit-chan's face turned red for the   
umpteenth time today. "Perhaps you have a special interest in it? I could arrange it so that you   
could have a closer look, along with other parts of my body…"  
  
Mit-chan jumped up, grabbing her notebook away, but not before thumping Shigure soundly on the   
head with it. "That's not it! I was just bored! And no – I don't want to see your – well, any part of   
your body, Sensei! Let's go now, the executives will be waiting for us." With that, she walked off   
with as much dignity as she could manage, as other nearby guests attracted from her outburst   
stared.  
  
"Hai, hai. Lead on, I'll be right behind you," Shigure rubbed his head ruefully. His long legs   
allowed him to leisurely catch up with her. Bending his head down so his lips were right beside her   
right ear, he gleefully added, "But Mit-chan, you know if you want my books to sell better, you'll   
have to help me more."  
  
"Eh? How can I do that?" Her voice wavered ever so slightly. The close proximity of Shigure's lips   
was just a bit unnerving.  
  
"Well, my romance novels would be ever so better if I had some more real-life experiences.   
Perhaps starting with weekly lovemaking sessions, and since you're my editor… Ow!" He stopped   
in his tracks, rubbing his chest.  
  
Mit-chan had not so subtly elbowed him hard in the ribs, and then stalked off ahead of him. "Stop   
making fun of me!"  
  
Still rubbing his chest, Shigure winced. Mit-chan was stronger than she looked. Glancing out the   
full-length windows that lined one side of the hallway, he was somewhat startled to see that it was   
snowing. He thought about what Kyou had said earlier, and hoped the meetings with the executives   
wouldn't take long. It had already been a long day.  
  
Almost at the end of the hallway, the editor found herself alone. Turning around, she saw Shigure   
still standing where she had first poked him, staring out of the windows. "Stop joking and hurry up!   
Now we're going to be late to the meeting with Kuto-san!"   
  
Shigure turned back towards her voice, "Kuto-san? Would she be a beautiful, wealthy young   
woman?"  
  
"Sensei! Just hurry up! I beg of you, please stay on your best behaviour!"  
  
"Well if you want that, you'll have to…"  
  
"Sensei!"  
  
"Hai!" Giving one more glance out as he quickly caught up with his editor, it seemed to him that   
even in that short while, the snow had increased its rate of fall.  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Yuki found himself literally being dragged by the arms out of the school. They had finished with   
their work today shortly after 1 pm, and by 1:30, they had locked the doors and were now heading   
towards the karaoke center for a late lunch and an early start to their party. Somehow, during the   
walk through the hallway to the outer doors, the two upperclassmen he had been working with had   
managed to latch on to both his arms.  
  
Apparently the general festive atmosphere had somehow erased some of the usual reserve and calm   
respect the other council members usually extended to Yuki. He felt somewhat naked as he was   
pulled along the path. A few other members had already come around and patted him on the back   
or head, all expressing their surprise and pleasure that he had decided to join them this time. He   
couldn't help but feel nervous, and he could sense a faint sheen of sweat on his forehead. As it was,   
he flinched every time someone moved towards him, not to mention patting him.   
  
With both his arms being held, it would slow his reactions down a lot. He worry what might happen   
should a female bump into him, or worse, decide to hug him deliberately. He was having trouble   
concentrating on the conversation around him; his throat seemed to be closing up. Fortunately, the   
others were used to him being rather quiet. He forced himself to swallow, and then wondered if this   
was how Kyou felt right before he ran away from Kagura, because it was all Yuki could do to stop   
himself from running right now. He strengthened his resolved though when he also recalled how   
Kyou managed to mix in easily with their male classmates. Tohru's words from the morning also   
helped him to relax.  
  
Gingerly, he managed to extricate himself from the hold of his female senpai on his right, blaming   
it on a slipping schoolbag. A few steps further, he managed to shake off the hold of his other senpai   
by pointing out a cool sports car parked on the street. His arms once again swinging free at his   
sides, he took a deep breath and tried to relax. It was only a brief respite though, minutes later he   
was gently pushed into the dark entranceway of the 'Sing Sing Karaoke Centre'.  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Once seated with their orders placed, the girls happily chatted about their holiday plans. With only   
two days to go before Christmas, the two taller girls wanted to know whether or not the Sohma   
family had any celebrations planned and whether or not they included their dear Tohru.  
  
"I don't think we have much planned, just a quiet Christmas dinner at home. Shigure-san said he   
might visit the main house during the day, but that he would certainly not miss our special turkey   
meal. I know that Hatsuharu-kun and Momiji-kun want to join us, and I believe Kagura-san will try   
to make it too, but she might be busy with her own family supper. It would be nice if Kisa-chan and   
even Hiro-kun could drop by too. Perhaps Shigure-san and Hatori-san will bring them along,"   
Tohru babbled happily.  
  
"Heh? All those people?" exclaimed Uotani.  
  
"Will they even all fit in the house? And who's cooking supper?" questioned Hanajima as she   
paused in the braiding of her friend's hair.  
  
The two concerned girls suddenly narrowed their eyes. Uotani sitting across the table abruptly   
stood up. With hands flat on the table, she leaned closer towards Tohru. "Don't tell me they left it   
all up to you!?"  
  
"Eh, well yes but..."  
  
"And do they expect you to lug home all the groceries yourself as well?" A cold wind somehow   
slid itself into Hanajima's voice as little sparks started to dance about her head.  
  
Tohru found herself pressed against the corner of the booth they sat at. Sometimes the way her   
friends' expressed their concern over her well being was just a bit scary. She stretched out her   
hands towards them, trying to calm them down.  
  
"Eto, it's not the way you think. We already got most of the groceries yesterday, and Yuki and   
Kyou would only let me carry the bag of candies. I just have to get some fresh bread tomorrow, and   
we're all set."  
  
Uotani finally sat down, running a hand through her bangs, "Well at least they carried most of the   
groceries."  
  
Tohru nodded, relieved that her friends had calmed down. She smiled and continued on, "And   
that's not it. Shigure-san said that if you didn't have any plans, you are both welcome to join us!   
Won't that be great? All the people I care most about will be together on Christmas! We'll have a   
lovely little dinner party!"  
  
"Yes! A wonderful Christmas party with Tohru!" exclaimed Uotani as she pumped a fist up into the   
air. Several other customers looked over curiously at the loud outburst. "Heheh, what about you   
Hanajima, you think you'll make it too?"  
  
Hanajima tilted her head to think for a moment, "Yes. I should be able to. My family's planning on   
having a Christmas lunch, so I should be able to come over for dinner later on. This way, we can   
even help Tohru-kun prepare the meal."  
  
"Hey, that's right! So don't worry Tohru, we'll even help you cook. We should make it a sleepover   
as well, ne?" Uotani smiled broadly. If the table hadn't been in the way, she would have hugged   
Tohru for certain.  
  
"Eh, certainly... it would be great to have you sleep over," Tohru replied nervously. Secretly she   
hoped that there wouldn't be any problems. With such a number of jyuunishi members under one   
roof along with Tohru and her friends, it was bound to be an exciting get-together. She wasn't sure   
if any of the other family members were planning on staying the night, Tohru just prayed that there   
wouldn't be any unexpected transformations in front of her friends. Shigure had been very   
generous, and brave to include her friends in their dinner party. Although Tohru wondered once or   
twice whether or not it was actually a foolish decision. Tohru sighed, in any case it was too late   
now. She didn't like keeping secrets from her best friends, but this secret wasn't hers to share.  
  
Hearing Tohru sigh, the other two shared a smile. Uotani reached over and gently tapped her on the   
head, "Wake up, Tohru dear. So I see you were a little anxious over preparing dinner for so many   
people. Bet you never even cooked a turkey before! You've got to learn to ask for help. Don't   
worry, Hanajima and I will be there early with our aprons on!" Hanajima nodded silently in   
agreement.  
  
Startled, Tohru's eyes widened, "But I couldn't ask that of you! You two will be guests! Don't   
worry about me. Yuki-kun's already offered to help with the dishwashing afterwards, and Kyou-  
kun will help me with the cooking!"  
  
Uotani and Hanajima stared at their friend in utter shock.  
  
"Ano, did I say something wrong? I really want you two to come enjoy the party, so thank you, but   
I really can't accept your offers to help. I just would not feel right about it." Tohru looked   
anxiously back and forth between her two friends.  
  
"Tohru-kun, it's not that..." Hanajima started to say.  
  
Uotani continued the thought, "We're just surprised. Not only is 'The Prince' going to help with the   
dishes (which I can kind of understand, him being the way he is,) but Kyoun is going to help   
cook!?"   
  
"Won't he just make a bigger mess of things?" added Hanajima.  
  
Tohru relaxed, glad that she hadn't offended her friends by mistake. "No, Kyou-kun wouldn't do   
that," she tried to explain. "Yuki-kun's the one that has problems in the kitchen. Kyou-kun's   
actually very good at cooking!"  
  
"Heh?!" exclaimed Uotani, as her black-clad friend raised an eyebrow in astonishment.  
  
"What would Sohma Yuki's fan club say if they heard you say that," added Hanajima.  
  
Tohru flushed slightly from the reactions and remarks of her friends, and looked down at her lap.   
"Well I'm sure that if Shigure-san and Yuki-kun really tried, they could cook well enough. I'm sure   
they have better things to do though, and ordinarily, there's really no need for them to help. It's no   
problem for me to cook for everyone, especially since they have all been so nice to me."  
  
She thought back to the couple of times that Yuki had insisted on helping her when she had come   
back tired from her part-time job. It had been a rather trying time, but thankfully he had soon   
realized that he was more of a hindrance than help. From then on he had stuck to setting the table   
and washing the dishes. The red in her cheeks deepened as she recalled the feelings of relief she   
had felt. She hoped that it wasn't too uncharitable of her to be thankful that Yuki no longer tried to   
help prepare the meals.  
  
She looked up and was surprised to see her friends examining her intently, "Eto. Is there something   
wrong?"  
  
"Huh? Nah. We're just getting hungry waiting for our food," replied Uotani.  
  
"So Sohma Kyou can cook, can he? What does he make?" Hanajima put in quietly.  
  
"I still can't believe it. Kyoun cook? I would have thought that he believed it to be something too   
unmanly to bother with." Uotani laughed as an image of Kyou with a white apron and a chef's hat   
arose in her mind.  
  
"But it's true! He's a very good cook, though he doesn't realize it himself," protested Tohru   
earnestly. "Uo-chan is right in that Kyou is rather shy about his skills though. When I was sick, he   
made a lovely meal for me. He sat with me just to make sure I ate enough, but I think he was   
embarrassed the whole time, even though I said it was very delicious and that it made me so happy.   
And Hana-chan, Kyou helped make a lot of the onigiri for our class festival, but he made me   
promise not to tell anyone. He is so modest about his cooking skills."  
  
"Onigiri?" asked Hanajima surprised.  
  
"You're telling us that he, Sohma Kyou, was the one who made the onigiri we were selling?"   
exclaimed Uotani, starting to laugh.  
  
Tohru clapped a hand to mouth, her face losing its rosy flush as she realized what she had just said.   
Then slowly she nodded. "You promise not to tell anyone though, right? He was only going to help   
me with them, but he's so quick he did most of them himself. I just made the ones that looked like   
cats."  
  
"Don't worry, we won't tell. And those cat ones were adorable." Hanajima gave Tohru a quick hug   
to reassure her, and chuckled quietly.  
  
"Well, that's one point for Kyoun. He might not ever make as much money as Sohma Yuki, but at   
least if you marry him, he'll cook for you!" Uotani continued to laugh until the waiter brought their   
orders, while Tohru was once again blushing hotly.   
  
--------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Having finally parted ways with Haru after pointing out the last remaining street and corner to the   
main Sohma compound, Kyou now found himself slowly trudging home through the thickening   
snowfall. His stomach gave a loud growl, and he was almost certain the cats in his knapsack heard   
and were gleefully laughing at him.  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------- 


	4. Blizzard Coming

Winter Storm (v 5.1)  
By Kelpy  
Email: dragon@smadar.ca  
Copyright December 2001-2002  
Category: Drama/Humor  
Rating: PG-13  
  
A 'Fruits Basket' Fan Fiction  
Original manga series by Takaya Natsuki  
Published by Hana to Yume Comics (Japan)  
  
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This piece of work is not to be sold in any form. Neither Takaya Natsuki nor Hana to Yume Comics has authorized this piece in any way. It may be downloaded for personal reading. Please contact me before presenting it for public use (posting to message boards/mailing lists, web sites, etc).   
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Thanks to all for the encouragement. I've been stuck between an extremely busy schedule this summer, and a huge writer's block. Anyway I have a little more spare time now, so I'm aiming to FINALLY finish this fanfic by Christmas of this year. *crosses fingers*  
  
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Part 4: Blizzard Coming  
  
"An autograph? But of course! I'd be honoured to!" Shigure smiled warmly, and leaned towards the blushing female publisher. Glancing back, he could see Mit-chan still seated, busy hammering out a schedule for his public appearances with the representatives of the latest bookstore chain. Briefly, their eyes met, his with gleeful laughter, hers with a warning to be on his best behaviour. He gave a quick wink before turning to the next person in line.  
  
The last of the official business meetings had finished, and the next hour or so were left for mingling and making new contacts. Aside from the scheduling, his dutiful editor would be chatting up prospective buyers, and checking on competitors. He himself had gathered a small throng of admirers, all clamoring for a few personal words or an autograph. A few even wanted a picture with him! In his element, Shigure obligingly complied. He even came up with a few unexpected poses reminiscent of Ayame, making his loyal fans laugh. Carefully however, he stayed near the side of the room. He wanted to make sure he had an escape route - it wouldn't do to have a transformation here! In between the signings and small talk, he glanced over the crowds' heads and watched the snow as it fell unheeded by the others.  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Yuki-chan! Here try this!"  
  
"What is it?" He took hold of the proffered glass before it slipped from his senpai's rather unsteady fingers. He eyed the blue liquid suspiciously.  
  
"Come on, just take a sip! You'll like it!" exclaimed another senpai, who dropped onto the seat beside him. It was the same girl he had been working with earlier on the food committee. Still giggling after singing to a couple of her favourite songs, she now seemed to be sitting dangerously close to Yuki. . . again.  
  
Leaning as far back into the sofa as possible to put a little more distance between them, he glanced around the room. They had been in the small dimly lit room for a good three hours already. The remains of their lunch lay scattered on the low table in the middle of the room. The only bright things in the room were the television and the small disco ball that hung from the ceiling. Everybody was in the best of moods, just enjoying the party atmosphere, and probably on a sugar high as well.  
  
Tohru had been right; the others did want him here with them. After the first hour of unease, he had gradually begun to relax and had even sung a song with a couple of the guys. He still wasn't comfortable enough to sing one on his own though, and of course, he still tensed up anytime one of the female students moved too close to him. All in all though, he was glad he had decided to come - it was a step in the right direction at the very least.  
  
Suddenly he felt a touch on his hand. "Yuki-kun! You're not listening again! I said to take a sip!"  
  
While his thoughts had been wandering, his senpai had apparently leaned even closer, and was now almost forcing the glass to his mouth. Practically breathing in the vapour rising from the glass, he could tell it definitely wasn't just some strange new soft drink. He pushed back a bit, and thankfully she relented somewhat and moved backwards, letting go of his hand.  
  
"Uh, hey! Isn't this alcoholic?"  
  
She smiled even wider at him, "Yup! My uncle co-owns this place, and he slipped us some to help us celebrate. Isn't that great? Only one glass each though."  
  
"Oh. Thanks, but I'm not really interested in trying it. Someone else can have mine too." Yuki tried to put the glass on the table, but found himself pushed back into the sofa by a pair of determined hands.  
  
"Oh come on Yuki-kun! I'll be graduating with the other third years soon, I'll probably won't get another chance to share a drink with you ever again!"  
  
Share a drink? By the way she was acting, Yuki suspected she probably already downed hers, and maybe another as well. "Er, but senpai, as part of the student council, shouldn't we be trying to set an example for the other students?"  
  
From somewhere across the room, somebody let out a big laugh at his remark. "Come on Sohma! Stop being so tight about things all the time! One sip's not gonna do anything. Look, even the president is drinking his glass!"  
  
At that remark, the president raised his arm, swirling the drink above his head. "Indeed. On this festive occasion, for the harmony of the group, I, student council president, shall allow everyone here to have a drink with no repercussions! Anything that happens here in this room shall remain in here. Nobody speaks about this outside! So, Sohma Yuki, drink up before I have to force you to sing the 'yellow polka-dotted bikini' song all by yourself!"  
  
"Fine. Just one sip though." Inside, he grimaced. Did all student council presidents have a streak of self-grandeur running in them? He couldn't help but think of his older brother, and the stories he told of his days as student president.  
  
Glancing up, he found that his female senpai had let go of him, but was now kneeling on the sofa; her hands clutched together, avidly waiting for him to drink. He sighed, "Okay, here it goes." He took the barest amount that could count as a sip, and even so, he could feel the minty but bitter fluid burn a line down his throat. Eck! "Okay senpai, I took a sip just for you."  
  
"Now I can say I had a drink with Yuki-kun!" With a squeal of delight, she jumped up and did a little dance before turning back to him. Yuki watched in semi horror as she threw her arms wide in preparation for a hug and tumbled towards him.  
  
"Senpai! Wait! Watch out!" He threw out his arms as he watched her fall, almost as if in slow motion, towards him. SPLASH!  
  
"Ahh!"  
  
Every head turned towards Yuki as he sat drenched and somewhat bewildered on the sofa. At the last moment, he had been able to maneuver his senpai so that she fell to his side, instead of on him. Unfortunately, it had been at the expense of the drink that he had still held in his hand. Yuki sighed in relief.  
  
"Ano, Yuki-kun. Sorry about that. I was just so hyper and happy that I forgot you still had the drink in your hand. If only you had drank it all down in one go!"  
  
"Don't worry about it senpai. It was just an accident." Yuki sat up, and tried to find a tissue to start cleaning up.  
  
"Is everything okay?" the president asked with concern. He stood up and started making his way towards them when he suddenly tripped over a table leg, "Ohh!"  
  
Within seconds, Yuki found his hair covered by what remained of the president's drink. Everybody stared at the president laying on the floor, and then at Yuki, and burst out in laughter. Looking up from his new position, the president grinned weakly at Yuki, "Sorry about that. I guess I didn't help much. You okay?"  
  
The situation was just so ridiculous that Yuki felt a small grin spread across his own features. "It was an accident, right? As long as nobody mentions a single word about this outside this room, I suppose I can live with it. Otherwise I might just have to take my revenge on you. A very painful revenge at that."  
  
The others burst out into another round of laughter. Getting up off the floor, the president slapped Yuki on the shoulder, "What a guy! I didn't know you were such a joker!"  
  
"Who said I was joking?" Yuki replied coolly.  
  
"Eh?" The president turned around in surprised before noticing the impish look Yuki had on his face, and chuckled again.  
  
Pushing his wet hair out of his eyes, Yuki quickly located his school bag and stood up. "I guess this is my sign to leave and get back home," he smiled and gestured to his soaked outfit. "Thanks for including me today, it was fun." A chorus of cheerful good-byes followed him out the door and into the hallway.   
  
"Hey wait up! You better clean up a bit before heading home. I got some on me too, so I'll walk you to the front door after we visit the washroom." Yuki nodded at the president, and the two boys walked to the washroom as stately as uniforms drenched in alcohol would allow.   
  
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"Yes! Wasn't that just a great afternoon?!" exclaimed Uotani, once again surprising several passersby.  
  
"Un! I love going shopping with Uo-chan and Hana-chan! It's especially wonderful since I don't get to go with you that often nowadays." The girls were once again in front of the fountain where they had first met up in the morning.  
  
"Hm. It was a good day wasn't it? I'm still reliving the waffles with ice cream we just finished," added Hanajima, one arm still looped around Tohru's shoulders.  
  
"Jeez, I sometimes wonder if you think of anything besides food!" joked Uotani. She kicked absentmindedly at a small pile of snow by her foot. "What I can't believe is this snow! Look how heavily it's started to come down, and it's not just melting when it hits the ground either!"  
  
Tohru looked worriedly at the snowfall, "Kyou-kun was right. Maybe we should call it a day then, and head home early?"  
  
"That orange-headed loud-mouth right about something?!" She eyed the accumulating snow on the fountain, "Well, maybe this time."  
  
"I think that's a good idea too, Tohru-kun. I also promised my brother to help him with his homework this evening." Hanajima hugged Tohru warmly, with Uotani following suit.  
  
"Sugoi! Hana-chan's such a good sister!" smiled Tohru.  
  
"Well, that depends how you look at things. Remember, Hanajima's the one that always takes a lot of re-tests at school, and also claims utter stupidity!" joked their blonde friend. Tohru blanched slightly at the mention of this.  
  
"Well, at least my brother still looks up to me. Besides, I'm just helping him with the design of his presentation. I only have to help cut and glue things together," replied Hanajima unperturbed.  
  
"It wouldn't by any chance be a science project on electricity would it? Then you could really help him shine." At this, Hanajima just glared at Uotani.  
  
"I'm sure Hana-chan will do a terrific job. Bye! Give my regards to your family!"  
  
"I will. Take care as you go home now."  
  
"Good-bye Uo-chan!"   
  
"Bye Tohru! See you tomorrow! Don't work too hard!" The two taller girls watched their dear friend make her way smilingly homeward until she was out of sight.  
  
"After all this time, she still amazes me. Do you think the boys will like her gifts? Do you think Kyou will actually wear that orange hat?" asked Uotani as they turned around to head towards their own homes.  
  
"She amazes me too. 'Yes' to the first question, and 'maybe' to the second." Hanajima looked up to her friend, and they shared a quiet chuckle as they remembered the ears on the woolen hat for Kyou.   
  
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As he trudged through the snowy path towards home, Kyou kept up a constant muttering. After finally leaving Haru to find the last part of the way back to the honke, he had made one more quick stop before heading home himself. As the thick coil of rope banged alternatively against his side and then at his cheek, Kyou wondered what on earth possessed him to step into the local hardware shop and buy such thing. It must have been intuition gone wrong. The worst part was that it had gotten icy now, and every time it touched his skin, it sent a little shot of pain into his jaw.  
  
Right now, his back and arms were aching. The snowflakes fell dancing from the sky, but he couldn't enjoy it at all, not with his tired feet trudging through the stuff that had started to pile up on the ground. All he wanted to do now was to get home, drop the load, and curl up somewhere warm and sleep the rest of the day away. Just like a cat.  
  
"You're such an idiot for buying all this stuff. And you just had to walk that stupid cow home didn't you! ARGH! Ignore the pain, and forget you're tired! What kind of weakling are you?! What have all those years of training been for? Don't let the weather beat you!" He kept up the muttered speech, half berating, and half encouraging himself to continue on. Nobody answered him of course, not unless you counted the purring from the cats in his knapsack. His stomach growled loudly in reply, reminding him that he had skipped lunch so far.  
  
Looking up briefly through the falling snow, he realized that he could finally see the house from where he was. It wouldn't be long now. The thought of a warm place though, helped quicken his pace - anything to get away from the cold and the dampness of the snow that had melted on his coat! His stomach however, didn't seem to care and kept rumbling.  
  
Finally putting foot onto the raised entry area, he paused and looked down in wonder. Here, where the ground was partially protected from the snowfall, he could see a whole confusion of small footprints. He began to wonder just how many kittens that smoke gray cat had. He glanced back towards the path he had just walked along. The steady snowfall had erased any signs of where the footprints had come from. Her secret hiding place would be safe yet.  
  
A yowl from his backpack awakened him from his reveries, and not so politely told him to hurry up and go on in. He nudged the door open wider with his right foot and walked into the welcoming warmth of the house. Kicking off his shoes, he dropped the grocery bags down with a sigh of relief. The coil of rope slid down as well, hitting the floor with a resounding thud. Moving a step or two further into the house, Kyou managed to work his knapsack off his back and swung it gingerly in front of him as he knelt down.  
  
"Okay you all, we're here, time to get out now." He lifted the flap up, and before he knew it, the whole family of cats (minus the father) had leapt out and formed a line in front of him. There they sat calmly, licking and grooming themselves as if it were both a normal occurrence to ride in a bag, and that they were glad it was finally over with.  
  
With the warmth of the house seeping into his body, Kyou shrugged out of his wet jacket, and watched the antics of the cats. An amused grin threatened to show itself as the kittens started to stretch their legs. He decided to give them a few ground rules first before they moved away from him. "Now, here are the rules. Stay on the ground floor. Don't knock anything over. If you've got some business to do, do it outside. If I can manage to find something suitable, I'll try to set up a litter box somewhere so when the storm's really here, you won't have to freeze your finicky little butts off. There's some other cats staying over too - so no fighting! Okay, you're free to go explore the place otherwise."  
  
The kittens scampered away almost before his last word was said. The mother gazed at him a moment as if to agree to his terms before walking stately away after her youngsters. Kyou was just about to get up when from around the corner, the brave little marmalade kitten came running back and butted one of his hands. This time, Kyou couldn't stop his grin from showing. "So little guy, are you trying to thank me now?" The kitten swatted away his hand playfully before running away again.  
  
With his stomach giving out a seemingly deafening roar, Kyou got back to his feet and grabbed his knapsack as well as the other two grocery bags. He left the wet coil of rope on the floor to dry out. Pausing by the front door, he decided to leave it open since he doubted the kittens' father had arrived yet. Walking into the kitchen, he could still smell the breakfast Tohru had cooked that day - it made his mouth water. Quickly shoving the perishables into the fridge, he left the rest of his purchases on the kitchen counter.  
  
Now what was there to eat? Tohru had mentioned she had left something in the fridge for him to warm up. Rummaging through the fridge he found the neatly packaged lunch. It was a savoury curry chicken rice dish. He smiled as he carefully warmed it up on the stove, all the while his stomach clamouring for him to just eat it cold. Kyou could cook pretty well himself, but having someone else lovingly make something for you, made it taste that much better. Even when Tohru wasn't there in person, somehow her food still gave him a sense of comfort.  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a couple of fleet footed bodies run past the doorway. That's right, he had almost forgotten the cats. He wondered if they were hungry too. His own stomach was protesting too much for him to put off eating much longer, but he supposed he had enough time to quickly set up a couple bowls of water for them. Quickly giving the curry another stir and turning down the heat somewhat, he turned to look for something to hold water with. Luckily he located two flat bowls without much trouble. They weren't meant to hold pet food, but they would do. He suspected they were actually old ikebana containers, but since they were just sitting in the bottom cupboard gathering dust, he figured it was fine to use them.  
  
Giving them a quick wash, he filled both with water and carefully carried them over to Shigure's study. He very nearly tripped when a large black cat suddenly brushed against his legs. "Oh! What the. . .? Where did you come from?" The cat simply stared back at him before winding around his legs again. "Hey! Watch that! I don't want to spill anything! Jeez. Nevermind, you can stay too, just make sure you behave. This isn't really my house, so don't make any trouble for me. " The black cat almost seemed to grin back at the teenager.  
  
Kyou looked at the sliding door to Shigure's study thoughtfully. He could easily open the door further with his foot and go in, but with the number of kittens in the house he wondered if it wouldn't be better to leave the water in the hallway. Things were getting touchy as it was with so many cats in the dwelling, he didn't want to chance getting into further trouble by having one of Shigure's manuscripts ruined by an overturned bowl of water. Two kittens running over his feet quickly made up his mind, and he left the bowls of water on the floor just beside the door.  
  
Slipping into the study, Kyou was just about to go through the house rules with the cats he hadn't had a chance to meet yet, when he stopped short in semi-shock. Aside from the cats he had carried back from town, and the smoke gray cat with her kittens (two of them it seemed), there were at least another ten in the room! Of various sizes, ages and colours, they all turned their heads to him when he came in. "Okay - where did you all come from?!" The cats only looked back mischievously.  
  
Kyou was beginning to think he had made a mistake. He hadn't expected so many cats! Just how many were actually in the house? As he opened his mind to check, his face paled. Aside from those in Shigure's study, there were at least another 10 or 15 in the rest of the house. What was he going to do?! The cats didn't give him any answers, they were obviously determined to stay there and wait the storm out. He doubted that Shigure would like his house being overrun with cats, especially since he himself was a dog!   
  
First things first, he had better close the front door before any more showed up. Rushing back through the hallway, he shut the door firmly, and then just stood there, trying to decide what to do next. Another growl from his empty stomach helped clear his mind. Food first! He would think of something afterwards. Shigure had mentioned that he would be late, and with any luck, he might even stay over at Akito's that night! Shigure might never have to know about the cats at all!  
  
Quietly humming to himself, Kyou quickly spooned out a large helping for himself, grabbed a carton of milk from the fridge, and stepped into the main room. A slow smile grew as the first delicious bite made its way into his hungry stomach. The warmth of the house and Tohru's cooking soon helped calm him down and think things through. Even the 4 or 5 cats that wandered around the room, and even over his lap while he ate didn't bother him. He finally decided that even if Shigure did find out, it would only be a sort of fitting justice for all the times his older cousin had teased and provoked him. As long as there wasn't too much of a mess, everything would be fine. Kyou's cat-eyes gleamed as he swallowed another spoonful of curry rice.  
  
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Hatori walked through the hallways of the great house; it was a surprisingly quiet day for once. There was only a short consultation in the morning, and Akito seemed to be in one of his calmer moods, sleeping and reading most of the day away. He stopped when he saw Hatsuharu shaking snow out of his hair in the entranceway. He had a strangely satisfied smirk on his face.  
  
"Haru? You went out?" asked the doctor.  
  
"Yeah, I called Yuki's place earlier but nobody was home, so I decided to go look for him." Taking off his damp coat, he let a passing servant take it to dry off. Turning towards the mirror that hung in the foyer, he tried to fix his hair.  
  
"You knew where he was going?"  
  
"No. I thought I'd just walk around and take a look since I had nothing else to do," was the calm reply.  
  
Hatori looked at his younger cousin with a slight trace of consternation. In front of him was the boy who couldn't be trusted to go anywhere alone that much further than a few blocks away from home, without getting lost. And yet despite that, he just went wandering off looking for his favourite cousin, Yuki. Hatori sighed, giving a small shake of his head.  
  
"Well, as long as you got home in a reasonable amount of time. Since you're grinning like that, I suppose you found him? What was he doing?"  
  
"Nope. I didn't find him. I bumped into Kyou though." Haru looked over at his older cousin, his eyes suddenly filled with an impish look.  
  
"Ahh." replied Hatori in a bland sort of tone. Doubtless the boys must have been roughing it up again. Strange that Haru was smiling like that though. Could it be that the Cow had finally won a fight over the Cat? "So, what was Kyou doing?"  
  
Having fixed his hair as best as he could, Haru leaned back against the wall to continue the conversation. It had dawned on him, that the usually quiet Hatori must have been bored to have stayed and talked this much - unless he was sent to find out the whereabouts of the other Jyuunishi. Whatever the case, Haru knew he had some interesting things to tell.  
  
"The Cat was out grocery shopping if you can believe it."  
  
"Oh. It's not an impossibility - he use to do that when he was living at the doujo too."  
  
"Yeah, he walked me part way home too." Haru decided to leave the incidents with the cats out for now. Hatori merely raised an eyebrow at this.  
  
"What's more interesting is what he told me about the others. Shigure went to some convention - probably with his editor. Tohru was out shopping with friends. The big news however is that Yuki went to a Karaoke party with the other members of the student council!" This finally got a more lively reaction out of Hatori.  
  
"Yuki did what? Of his own accord?"  
  
"Went to a party, and yup, seems like he wanted to go too."  
  
"Hm. Is that so?"  
  
Seeing that Hatori had fallen into deep thought, Haru shrugged and started to walk off to look for his hyper-genki cousin, Momiji. "Oh yeah, I suppose you already know that Shigure's coming over for supper. Kyou mentioned that Yuki might be coming too."  
  
"Huh? Yuki's coming here?!" This was definitely unexpected. It had been such a quiet day, and now with the possibility of Yuki coming over - he wondered what would happen if Akito found out before the meal actually occurred.  
  
From far down the hallway, just before he turned the corner, Haru yelled out a few last words. "Yeah, Kyou seemed pretty adamant that there was some huge snowstorm coming our way. I think that's why he practically marched me back home. He even warned Yuki about it. Seems like those two are actually getting along these days, ne?"  
  
Hatori stared after the disappearing figure of the Cow. So, Kyou did that? Hm, a warning about a snowstorm. The fact that his fiery younger cousin had even warned Yuki was surprising. Hatori tried to work things out in his mind, but this sort of thing was more along the lines of Shigure's specialty. Might that girl's presence have had something to do with it? Then again, Honda Tohru wasn't there when Kyou walked Haru back. Kyou and his weather-sense. Something clicked in Hatori's mind, and after taking a quick peek out at the falling snow, he decided he had better take a quick drive through town. He might have to pick up a few familiar animals on the way home.   
  
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End file.
